C.V.C. / C.C.C. REPORT
This article was originally printed in the February / March 2001 issue of Tracking The Industry. . .
What's new with the C.V.C. or is it the C.C.C? Yes, that's right. We are now members of the C.C.C - Canadian Cervid Council. In the early part of 2000, the C.V.C. directors decided that we needed to change the name so that it would reflect the true nature of the council. With changing the word "venison" to Cervid, it would clarify that the council deals with cervid concerns, not just meat concerns. This was phased in through the year so government and members would realize it was just a name change and not a new organization. Enough on the name change.
Over the past year, the CWD situation has been the main focus of the C.C.C. Members of the council have been diligently working with government and producers, trying to make a bad situation better. Some of the positive happenings were getting compensation premiums doubled and persistent pressure on government to eradicate affected animals such that we can prove CANADA has given due diligence to control and eradicate CWD. As of the start of January, there were 1513 animals put down. So far there were 14 animals from 6 farms testing positive for CWD. Not all testing is complete yet. Trace-outs from the source farm were included in these numbers. In December, the CWD situation became public. Most local papers picked up on it. The Globe and Mail also took an interest by printing 4 articles that were very negative and contained false information. The B.B.C in Europe re-printed these articles in Korea, putting a temporary ban on North American deer products. The C.F.I.A and the C.C.C. are working with the Canadian Embassy in Korea to try and calm the waters by releasing correct information and get the ban lifted. Enough on this topic.
For a positive note, the T.B. research collaborative committee finally has the agreement signed to go ahead with blood testing technology and are in the process of starting to get the C.F.I.A to start collecting blood samples while performing traditional T.B. tests on farms. This will be great for our industry if the blood test is soon validated. On another note, there are talks of starting a foundation for fundraising. It would be called the Canadian Cervid Foundation. The foundation's purpose would be to enable industry to receive a tax credit for donated animals. Then the foundation has better access to receive government money for research efforts. This is just an overview of what the Canadian Cervid Council (C.C.C.) is dealing with presently. If you have any questions or need any clarity, feel free to contact me (evenings are the best chance to reach me). Until next time.
Rod Boutin
(306)
825-0220
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